Memeorandum

July 03, 2007

Happy Independence Day - Enjoy The Commute

It's getaway day for everyone including Scooter Libby, whose sentence was commuted by President Bush.

Stray thoughts:

I Am Shocked, Shocked: Was anyone surprised by this result? When William Otis, who had advised Bush I on the Caspar Weinberger pardon, floated the idea in the WaPo, was it hard to figure Bush II was getting a message?

If It Was Done When 'Twere Done: As an ex post genius, I can now declare the timing to be obvious - if Bush had let conservatives howl for a few days following the appeals court denial of bail for Libby pending appeal, when (if?) he eventually gave in his action would have been denounced as a craven collapse to political pressure. Instead, he can pretend this was a sensible, principled compromise.Love The Jury (Hate The Judge): The commutation is a slick straddle - Bush claims to respect the jury's verdict but disses the judge's sentencing decision.

Never Ready For Prime Time: Harry Reid delivers a classic gaffe by going off-message and telling us what he really thinks (as per the Times):

“Libby’s conviction was the one faint glimmer of accountability for White House efforts to manipulate intelligence and silence critics of the Iraq War,” Mr. Reid said. “Now, even that small bit of justice has been undone.”

Silly Harry. Dems are on somewhat sound footing when they scream about respect for the rule of law, and equality thereof (please ignore Sandy Berger's non-jail time). But the idea that Libby should go to jail because Bush mis-led us into war and mismanaged the post-liberation administration of Iraq? I have no doubt plenty of Dems believe just that, but it is ridiculous - accountability ought to start nearer the top, if the Dems can rally themselves to hold hearings, impeach Bush, or whatever. Helpful hint - the Vice President's chief of staff is normally neither a household name nor the Commander in Chief.

Better Late Than Never: The latest headline is that Bush won't rule out a subsequent pardon, so now I am an ex-ante genius. It seems like only yesterday I wrote:

As has been discussed previously, Bush has other options than a full pardon available to him. For example, Bush could commute Libby's sentence to a fine and probation; that would allow Libby to continue his legal appeals without going to jail (and keep open the possibility of an end-of-term full pardon).

Advantage Obama - this is from Reuters:

Many at the White House found criticism from New York Sen. Hillary Clinton particularly ironic. Aside from the Rich pardon, her husband's former national security adviser, Sandy Berger, reached a plea deal in 2005 and avoided a jail sentence for illegally removing classified documents from the National Archives and destroying some of them.

Yes, it is tough for Hillary to carry the flag on this one.

MORE: The End Of The Long And Dusty Trail: I am confident I could find fantasists who think that this commutation somehow will discourage Liby from cooperating with Fitzgerald and telling "the truth". As an antidote, let me wave in a Bush-bashing former Federal prosecutor:

Equally unlikely is the idea that Fitzgerald would want Scooter Libby to cooperate. Not only is Scooter Libby a convicted felon - a fact that juries are entitled to take into account when assessing a witness's testimony - he is a felon who was convicted of perjury and making false statements. For a prosecutor, trying to make a case based on the testimony of a convicted perjuror is akin to a would-be suitor showing up on a first date wearing a wedding ring: it creates serious credibility hurdles. As if that weren't enough of a problem, Libby would be testifying as a cooperating witness regarding the very matters about which a jury has already found that he lied. As to those, Libby has made extensive prior statements chock-full of inconsistencies, fodder for days of devastating cross-examination. And then, to top it all off, there would be the pesky fact that Libby's entire defense at trial was based on an attempt to prove that the man has a terrible memory. A convicted perjuror with a memory problem may be a great premise for a bad joke, but it is a terrible premise for a criminal case against the vice president of the United States.

That is from Elizabeth de la Vega, a former federal prosecutor with more than 20 years of experience. During her tenure, she was a member of the Organized Crime Strike Force and Chief of the San Jose Branch of the US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California. Her pieces have appeared in the Nation magazine, the Los Angeles Times and Salon. She writes regularly for Tomdispatch.com. She is the author of United States v. George W. Bush et al..."

Comments

Libby lied when he said he was suprised when Russert mentioned Wilsons wife sent him to Niger.

1. We know this because: Russert had stated in an earlier interview that he wasn't sure what exactly was said.

2. He had in the past claimed he never made a phone call that he in fact had made.

3. Russert was in a jam because he kind of lied to the court about talking to the FBI, Fitz promised Russert he wouldn't mention that little slip if he would only cooperate.

This Russert waqs absolutely sure what exactl was said when it came to the trial.

Thus you put all that together and you have Libby intentionallly lied about his conversion with Russert, it wasn't a mistake, it wasn't with Novak, and therefore he obstructed Fitz finding out about Armitage leaking to Novak and Bob Woodward, which Fitz already knew so the proverbial 'sand in the face' came after the entire game, no, the entire season was over and Fitz was following Libby out to his car with a baseball bat after a few pints in the bar.

Given all that, Cheney then must have told Libby to out Plame, although there is no evidence.

Given that Cheney told Libby, Bush must have order Cheney, because there is no evidence of that either, therefore since we have no evidenc, that directly links Bush to lying about WMD, because noone have ever heard of Iraq and WMD until Bush came to town.

Hillary had originally refused to answer questions about a pardon for Libby at the AFSME convention and then stupidly jumped on the bandwagon--trust me, even her witchy brain trust knows this is a loser for her.

Wilson's back on the NBC/MSNBC circuit and
all's right with the world.

Bush pushed the jail sentence away; but not the freak show at the applets to the supreme-o's. He made a good investment in Excutive privilege. And, he probably gave the GOP, in the future, a way to deal, successfully, with the litigious Bonkeys.

His numbers, which had swooned so low he was scraping Jimmy who? Are not about to rise. With the incoming information on Irak. Where, again, Americans are backing the military, with polls showing this at 70%.

Yes, Irak hit low points. But never as low as what Abraham Lincoln had to contend. Nor, even, FDR. And, I think Americans are looking for some presidencial successes, ahead, as well.

The luggage? Stuck to the behind of Arlen Specter. Could there be a revolt, ahead, behind the velvet curtains of the senate? Don't ask me. I'm not the Oracle at Delphi.

This decision to commute the sentence of a man who compromised our national security cements the legacy of an Administration characterized by a politics of cynicism and division, one that has consistently placed itself and its ideology above the law. This is exactly the kind of politics we must change so we can begin restoring the American people’s faith in a government that puts the country’s progress ahead of the bitter partisanship of recent years.

And I'm glad someone else noted Fitz over-the-top response to the President's clemency statement. When the book is written about this is written that is factual and not told via AP headlines or NBC perhaps it can be named after the jury -maybe something like:

Scooter Libby emerged as the least absurd character in the entire drama, and yet he was the one who committed a crime. President Bush entered the stage like a character from another world, a world in which things make sense.

His decision to commute Libby’s sentence but not erase his conviction was exactly right. It punishes him for his perjury, but not for the phantasmagorical political farce that grew to surround him. It takes away his career, but not his family.

Y'know, I was initially unimpressed with the whole commutation thing. But watching the nutroots' collective blood pressures rise to the point they're startin' to blow gaskets, I'm starting to think it's not so bad. Heh.

But the real lesson learned here is that special prosecutors are inherently out-of-control. And the appointment issue, far from being a technicality, addresses the root problem of chartering an investigator who has a vested interest in skipping blithely over the actual crime (or non-crime) to pursue "obstruction" of his non-investigation. And though I continue to believe in Libby's actual innocence, I'd be very surprised if he continues with the appeal, as vindication seems unlikely, and the pursuit is very expensive. Which begs the question of an eventual pardon, which again appears unlikely.

1. Fitz was awfully graceless. Bush was not criticizing him for being a prosecutor and asking for the book to be thrown. To the extent anyone should be peeved, it should be Walton, who was responsible for the sentence. But then, I don't recall Walsh or Starr handling their treatment at the hands of politicians well, either.

2. Cecil -- you're simply wrong. Bush's approach is the correct ones for both reasons of justice (the ultimate punishment approximates the plea deal Clinton struck at the end of his presidency for a "crime" that was awfully similar) and for reasons of expediency (Congress annot compel Libby to testify because his testimony could prejudice his appeals). I haven't complimented Bush often in the last three years, but I'll do so now. I love it when the right thing to do turn out to be the slick thing to do. By the way, CT, if you want to see how a man in the midst of an apoplectic fit blogs, check out Andrew Sullivan's site.

3. Considering his constituency and his large thematic message, Obama handled this pardon absolutely right. I'm sure H&R is awash with cynicism about this, but this seems well-played. (Hillary, on the other hand, should have just said she had not studied the issue and did not think it was appropriate to comment.)

Good God--is there a remaining sentient being who discounts the value of the sheer joy in watching the Moonbat reaction? Can there be any doubt that it played at least some part in Dubya's thinking? You know damn well he'd been refreshed about Schumer and Pollard, Marc Rich, Sandy Berger, all the rest. I think he did this, in part, for the same reason he keeps saying "nuke-you-lar"--it just drives them up the wall.

Side note: On the previous thread I used the search function with my oen name in order to go to wherever I had left off. I got a hit somewhere in an interminable screed by poor ol' Major Chch, still floating strangely out there, observing that the earth is blue. He was apparently trying to convey something to me. Note to Major Chch: I hope you won't think me rude, but some time ago I stopped reading anything at all that you write. I can spot it instantly, and when I do I just scroll down at max speed. I do not know anything about what you are saying, and thus will not respond. If you wish to communicate with me, you must find some medium other than this site. I suggest you re-establish contact with Ground Control, and ask them to put you through.

I just heard a blurb a few minutes ago, and I'm sorry but I was walking through the room and not paying close attention, but it was something to the effect that ONLY Hillary has referenced the car bomb plot in the UK of all the democrat party Presidential candidates. I'm not sure if any other dems have mentioned it either. Who can possibly think about electing any one of these clowns?

I'm with you, AppMod. I think this one is made to order for Obama, and is something that Hillary should hope will just go away. And for all his many faults, Bush is indeed a gracious man--perhaps too gracious to do well in the environment in which he finds himself. Like his hapless father, he actually seems to think that if you treat Teddy Kennedy like a gentleman, he will respond in kind.

Obama has a job to do -- get elected by his electorate through promoting a message of rising above partisan bickering. He did his job without hurting anybody. In politics -- one takes what one can get.

No Democrat can endorse this commutaton in the same way no Republican could agree that at least some of Clinton's last pardons were justified (or any Democrat could agree that Bush I's Iran-Contra pardons were justified).

Other Tom - I don't know why GWB in all his years in politics starting at his Dad's and Ronald Reagan's knee in childhood and young adulthood, he has not learned the differences between those with graciousness and those who only know the survival of the fittest of the streets, knife 'em in the back before they knife you mindset.

I was raised in a similar environment as GWB and had a lot of trouble with this issue when I first got on my own. I did not realize for a long time that all the people I had to deal with had not been taught the same social graces I had been taught were absolutely necessary to succeed in this world. GWB and I are almost the same age, give a few months, and it was a different time back then. I remember how shocking it was for me to have someone take my words of compassion and call me out as [fill in the blank]. And how shocked I was when my Mother-in-law lashed out one day, "well you were raised rich and educated and think you are entitled to be treated with respect, it is different for the rest of us." Huh?

I am cynical because he made a statement which was inflammatory and wrong as a matter of fact precisely for partisan political advantage--the issue hurts Hillary and the more she tries to jump on the Scooter the more everyone remembers the last minute Bill pardons for pay.

The woman has a tin ear and Obama is as partisan an in fighter and as cynical a manipulator of public opinion as anyone else.

Paul at Powerline is asking the same questions I did this am, what about the socialized medicine of Great Britain disincents people to take up medicine and thereby requires the expedited importation of doctors?

PAUL adds: At the Corner, Mark Steyn, Iain Murray, and Stanley Kurtz make note of the high percentage of non-British doctors practicing in England under the NHS. Socialized medicine, it seems, tends to chase British doctors into other careers or other countries.

The sand that Libby threw in Fitz's eyes was really his correction of his FBI interview and stubborn refusal to return (under oath) to his original, speculative statement about what Cheney may "possibl[y]" have told him to do. If Libby had not spoken loosely about possibilities he would almost certainly never have found himself in this position, despited his faulty recollection. Libby couldn't be indicted for correcting his initial statements, so Fitz had to go with the weak and non-material statements to reporters. The indictment was the last gasp at flipping Libby, who remained unflippable. But there was no going back from the indictment and Libby forced a trial by his refusal to buckle to the pressure.

Well, some go for the Madonna in the Ditch mode; I tend to keep looking at the field that holds all the nominees running for nominations in 2008. Including, if the Bonkeys keep it up, a Bloomberg "expense paid" run for Independent. WHich gives ya lots of candidates still to choose from.

Is it possible Obama is now leading Hillary? That ticket looks like a two-fer. And, all the republicans have to do is keep their eyes peeled on who will be MOST electible.

Guilini? Tops out for this 2nd quarter at $15-million, raised. And, Mitt Romney at $14-million.

Fred's not a candidate, yet. And, he'll probably attempt "shoe-string" politics, just the same; heavily dependent on traffic from the Net. And, those lame mainstream shows, that pull him in to raise ratings. Thereby, getting more clips up on U-Tube. It's a marriage made in heaven.

What's interesting is that Bush doesn't run again. Bush did run into resistance from his base. WHereby he snookered the Bonkeys to hit their horns.

Yes, fer shur, "if" Mother Moonbat came out of her cave; it's either because it's a slow news day, so the MSM answered her squawking calls. And, it's much more fun on the Internet.

A win not just for Libby; but for Internet users, too. My, my fingers are happy.

Sara: It is probably good that Cindy is back. It will drive the Dem candidates crazy. Most of the public associates her with them (liberals and liberal media) and the crazier she is, the better for our side.

Cindy going quietly into that good night was really good news for Dems, so I for one and glad she's back and as moonbatty as ever!

I love it when the right thing to do turn out to be the slick thing to do.

I'd be far more impressed if I thought it was the right thing to do.

The indictment was the last gasp at flipping Libby, who remained unflippable.

If one actually reads Libby's testimony, the thing that stands out is that he doesn't remember. The only thing he thought he remembered (the conversation with Russert) turned out to be wrong. The trial testimony showed he was in good company . . . nobody else remembered either.

What this proves, beyond any reasonable doubt, is that Plame's identity wasn't very important to anybody (with the possible exception of Armitage). Which pretty much debunks the whole premise behind the supposed conspiracy to "out" someone nobody knew was covert (if she was). Which makes the whole "flipping" concept a bit of a joke. That said, I concur with Beldar that it looks exactly like that was Fitz's plan all along . . . combined with a similarly nonsensical fixation on the NIE declassification. And it's a pretty good indicator he oughta find a new line of work. (Or be very closely supervised in anything requiring judgment.)

The high proportion of foreign physicians is indeed down to a lack of British Doctors - not just from lack of students, but also because many trained Doctors choose to pursue other careers. Life in the NHS is not a rewarding experience. A family member of mine who is so highly regarded as a Doctor that she has won a prize carrying a substantial annual stipend for the rest of her life has withdrawn from clinical treatment because she was constantly asked to make life-or-death decisions based on the rationing of resources (you won't hear that story in Sicko). The socialization of medicine in the UK is responsible for a lot of problems. The importation of terrorists is just one of them.

I'm of the mind (there's an opening for you to take) that Libby should have served six months and then Bush could have commuted the sentence in December (nice Fitzmas, er Christmas gift).

From everything I've read, I have no doubt as to the patriotism of Libby. This silly "treason" charge is just that silly (I'd sure wish those who throw the treason charge would learn its requirements, i.e., aid and comfort along with adherence to an enemy; aid and comfort alone don't constitute treason (legally)).

Yes, it's a bit difficult seeing Libby in prison while the loathsome fraud Wilson walks the streets. Such is life.

But it seems to me that Libby did indeed deliberately commit perjury. Wilfully and deliberately and, such, deserves at least some jail time (high government officials and all that).

Why? He screwed up. He leaked Plame's name without realizing the danger in doing so. Whether Big Time authorized that or not is another story; my guess is probably.

Why? He screwed up. He leaked Plame's name without realizing the danger in doing so.

Sorry, it doesn't wash. He claimed he leaked it to Cooper (even though Cooper says he was the one who brought it up and Libby was noncommittal) . . . further, he admitted leaking to Judy (the only person he may have actually leaked to), just at the latter meeting, and not the first. None of that is an alibi for leaking, which makes the "lied to cover up a leak" theory dubious at best; but it's perfectly consistent with a faulty memory.

******************
Patrick I just want everyone to know, they stole my theory. I think even the hefty sentence was an attempt to flip Libby - after he got in prison, he might have reconsidered, and I'm sure Fitzfong would have promised to ask for early release for him if he would only.

Speaking of not being a near thing. I'm of the opinion the twelve angry Kos Kids jury weren't sure they could sell it either. The ones who talked only wanted to talk about Rove and Cheney. Talk about an agenda. And didn't more than one hope that Bush pardoned him anyhow. At any rate, I was always amazed by the amount of post-its notes they took to connect the dots in the he-said she-said game that Fitzgerald kept selling.

The problem with Britain's National Health Service are legion,one principle problem is that it is a political football,nobody lost votes by calling for more money for the NHS.Politicians do and undo each others work in the inimitable,ignorant way that politicians will.
Secondly it is the fiefdom of the unions and collective bargaining.
Thirdly it is immensely bureaucratic,at one time reputedly the largest single employer outside the Red Army.
Regional Health Authorities are packed with political place men,often a party sinecure.
Free at the point of use,the NHS is a magnet for health shoppers from across the world,even from the US,if you have a serious long term ailment get on the plane.
There are also race quotas,employees must measure up to some mythical multicultural norm.
These are just some of the systemic problems,so is it any wonder that a newly qualified doctor,having been used a slave labour throughout training finds it more attractive to treat cellulite in Palm rather than toil under the yoke of a vast creaking bureaucracy? Besides the money is better.

Isn't what happened to Mr Libby one of the pernicious techniques of modern prosecution.Forget evidence, embroil the accused in a massively expensive and endless farrago with the option of making a plea bargain,simply to end it.
Helps if some star witness if offered immunity,doesn't sound like truth and justice to me.

Letting ¿Asian? doctors substitute "Allahu Akbar" for the Hippocratic oath is just taking multiculturalism to its logical end.

Is there any way that a movement might be started to get all Labour leaders under the care of only ¿Asian? doctors? Challenge them to do it as a gesture of solidariety and then publish a primer in Urdu that explains a simpler method of acquiring a harem of 72.

TM:
First off thank for the many wonderful posts on this topic!
Sunnyday:
I concur with your assessment that all tried to ratchet up the pressure to make Libby flip to no avail.
Bobs;
I get you and think you are funny but not as hilarious as H&R.
CT,Mr. Ballard, clarice,et al:
Your analysis and attention to detail has been fantastic. Keeping to the facts you have captured the essence of this fandango of a case.
Saw Wilson on Hardball with Matthews and could not contain my glee! He is mad as a hornet and thinks he is being punished for being a democrat by this administration. He was at his banished site in Santa Fe , New Mexico still insisting that all the bad men had ruined his wife's life. Pathetic has been with a beard to go with that very important hair. To me he just looked like a loser.
FWIW: I don't think Cheney ordered any kind of vendetta against Wilson or Plame. Libby proved he wasn't any little boy Dean who spills the beans to get off the hook.

It's a damn good thing since I long ago stopped trying to match wits with this crowd.

Gmax, that was my first thought when the whole doctor plot was revealed. Will it have Hillary rethinking her plan to socialize medicine - not if her campaign rhetoric of today is any indication. But it's a hell of a subject to toy with in the general election.

The $$$ about Plame was what was covert! She had what Nixon once had. A safe with cash in it.

The CIA does not want you to find this out. So, they referred to her "cash reserve" as covert. Because they were "covert" funds. Kept away from all oversight. Even peering eyeballs of congress.

It's just amazing that this is still secret.

We keep thinking our government workers are ill-paid. And, they just advance among tracks labeled 15, 16, and such. While it's not just in Harry Potter; that there's a "magic platform," that if you know how to make it open, makes you rich. Gets you to find the funding to send your hubby to sip mint tea in Niger.

Say what you will about the Wilson's, this they knew was very secret.

Perhaps, Fitz will never find out?

And, perhaps, congress lacks all curiosity? Nobody really reads "earmarks," or pork rinds, quite the way government blokes do; when they want to have "spare cash."

When Tenet left? He probably closed the drawer on Plame. And, then he refuses to name her name in his book.

By the way, Rick Ballard, "Unpleasantness," is a Southern Term. Didn't keep them from carrying about racist attitudes, ya know?

By now people know a lot about islam. It's not as if Dubya gets us all wildly enthused for some of the stuff he embraces.

It's like assuming kids don't talk among themselves about sex; and buy, wholesale, the cabbage patch stories. Now, why does Santa Claus get such a good run, I have no idea.

I watched Gibson earlier this afternoon about Bill Clinton helping Hillary. Too bad that the only good thing that Bill has for himself today is his great oratory skills.

He is going to be a great boost or a major mistake to Hillary because of that baggage.

But on the other hand, thinking about the consequences of a Democrat winning the WH in '08 is scary in spite of our unhappiness with the GOP.

I still believe in voting straight Republican in '08 for several reasons:

1. US Supreme Court Justice nominations.
2. Taxes won't be raised as high.
3. Retreat of this war.
4. Rebuilding of the Gorelick Wall by destroying all NSA evidence before they could be handed over to FBI.
5. Repeal of the US Patriot Act.
6. Increasing odds of another 9/11 attack or worse.
7. Increasing perception of corruption and real corruption.
8. Nationalized health care.
9. No immigration reform. Probably grant amnesty to all illegals just to get their votes.
10. No SS reform. Not even thinking about it.

What else?

Oh, think a Democratic President would not have an issue with Fitz continuing to be in his role as a SP and promoting Walton to the next level. Ya think Walton would be nominated for one of the US Supreme Court Justices?

Neither party will be able to rein in earmarks and pork but rather seek more.

Jane, this whole doctor plot will have no affect on Hillary's thinking at all.

How many of you would vote straight Republican in '08? How many do you think will stay at home? How much of a role would the Hispanic vote play into this election? Give the Democrats more votes?

P.S. How nice that chidiot-chidoit hasn't been here at all. It's time for him or her to go.

The House Judiciary Committee has officially announced its plans for a hearing into President Bush's commutation of Scooter Libby's prison term.

I don't understand this part though...

"In light of yesterday's announcement by the President that he was commuting the prison sentence for Scooter Libby, it is imperative that Congress look into presidential authority to grant clemency, and how such power may be abused," John Conyers said.

Jane:It's a damn good thing since I long ago stopped trying to match wits with this crowd.

Pshaw. You don't realize your wit because you just speak your mind. But your mind, in its natural state, speaking without any pretense of trying to elicit a response from the gallery, is infinitely witful.

Don't doubt Conyers sincerity, many a liberal will look you in the eye and explain that Clinton had INHERENT Presidential powers when he did waranntless searches of peoples homes for National security purposes; BUTT, then Congress wrote a law and Clinton signed it stating that the President needs a warrant, and low and behold, Clinton no longer did warrantless searches.

SEE, A LAW CAN SUPERCEDE THE PRESIDENT CONSTITUTIONAL POWERS, TADA!

Happy 4th everyone! In honor of the Imigration Bill defeat, break out the Dos Equis !!

The Conyers hearings oughta be a laff riot. Can you imagine what the Repubs will be able to dredge up, just to refresh the public recollection about clemencies and pardons of the past? I'll bet Hillary is delighted to learn of all this...

Exactly who will testify to assist the committee in achieving this urgent legislative purpose? "Mr. Rove, did you ever discuss clemency for Mr. Libby with the president?" (I'm dead serious when I say that's probably what Crazy Larry and the zanies at FDL are contemplating.) "Certainly, Mr. Chairman. Let me fill you in on some of the details of our discussions."

Rarely have I welcomed a Fourth with such a sense of glee at the dismay of my adversaries. Oh God, they must be smoldering...

Sue, from the last thread:I get it now. They are going to claim he is lying by telling the same story and do what? Charge him again?

I'm baffled too. I asked at TNH and got no response. I don't understand what would suddenly motivate Libby to either tell a different story or take the 5th, unless there is evidence that his first story is wrong in a way other than the way it has already been declared wrong in court. In which case, he could simply be charged anew on the different obstruction/perjury charges. He hasn't been commuted from serving time ever on every charge, nor would a pardon have had that effect.

I think there was just a fantasy that Libby, after sitting in prison a few days, would suddenly spill the "truth"-- that Cheney and Bush had ordered the destruction of Valerie Plame's--the woman they knew to be an important, IIPA covered, CIA operative.

I've been feeling so bad about the conviction and sentencing, last night was the first in months that I had a good night's sleep. The agony of my foes is secondary to my joy that :ibby and his famiy can now see some light and hope after this outrageous ordeal.

IIRC For some time there's been a COngressional rule that if the committee is informed the witness will take the Fifth they are not to call him as a witness simply to get him to confirm that in public.

I don't understand it either. I mean, I understand the concept of it, but I don't understand what they think they are going to accomplish. Other than another show trial. I guess when that is all you have, you go with it.

"In light of yesterday's announcement by the President that he was commuting the prison sentence for Scooter Libby, it is imperative that Congress look into presidential authority to grant clemency, and how such power may be abused," John Conyers said.

So explain to me what Scooter Libby could possibly contribute to a hearing questioning "presidential authority to grant clemency?"

Aside from maybe shrugging his shoulders and saying, "Would you like to borrow my coat pocket copy of the Constitution."

I mean what do they expect him to say, "yeah you're right, Mr. Prez didn't have that authority, where do I report to jail?"

Terrific news today. I'm looking forward to several weeks of liberal spluttering. And of course when thusly fired up, the moonbats will collectively shriek, thereby contributing to the eventual demise of the Democrat Party. And you gotta love that.

Maybe Mother Sheehan will come out of retirement. That would be too much to ask, I suppose.

Remember dems rules to change something they don't like or agree with:
1. go to the liberal courts for relief like the 9thcircuit.
2. change the law
3. start spreading propaganda and lies via the msm-Keith Oehlberman's way.
4. take a poll and lie some more
5. engage in voter fraud on a national basis and then complain when a US Attorney is fired for ignoring the voter fraud in his district.

Maryrose: What was it that you learned today that suggested that Libby can avoid testifying during the pendency of his appeal? I'm particularly interested because I ventured the entirely uninformed view that if I were he I wouldn't utter a word until ordered to do so by an appellate court. If you have learned something that would validate my initial gut reaction, let me know so that I can strut about in an even more insufferable manner now that I at least have some law on my side. (Not that I really need it: I already know how to be a blustering boor in a righteous cause without any support at all.)

Now you're thinking Rick. Stacking the courts with friendly co-conspirators is an obvious but necessary step toward our early retirement through graft and dirty dealing. ANd as an evil conservative, I'm all about stacking the deck in my favor. Particularly if I can hold someone down or be generally oppressive in the process.

Outstanding. Much better than my usual strategy of "lawyers, guns and money".

OT:
On a talk show it was mentioned that because of the appeals process Libby can't incriminate himself and his chances of an overturn of his conviction by testifying in a congressional hearing.He must take the 5th and that would be a pointless exercise. I agree with sara that all these bogus hearings that don't find anything are a waste of time for thecongress and us. Get busy and start fixing social security and the health care system. And take away the Energy bill from that partisan pro automakers Dingell so we can get some mileage standards in place!

Sheehan says this forced her out of retirement. So your dream has come true.

There is a God. And He loves me.

WRT Article II...

The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.

He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.

The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.

Just in time for Independence Day, all kinds of historical documents and other goodness here

Saw these from a commentor over at TigerHawk, thought I would pass them on for your reading pleasure.

Quotation from prominent environmentalists:

"The right to have children should be a marketable commodity, bought and traded by individuals but absolutely limited by the state."

—Kenneth Boulding, originator of the “Spaceship Earth”

concept (as quoted by William Tucker in Progress and Privilege, 1982)

"We have wished, we ecofreaks, for a disaster or for a social change to come and bomb us into Stone Age, where we might live like Indians in our valley, with our localism, our appropriate technology, our gardens, our homemade religion—guilt-free at last!"

—Stewart Brand (writing in the Whole Earth Catalogue).

"Free Enterprise really means rich people get richer. They have the freedom to exploit and psychologically rape their fellow human beings in the process…. Capitalism is destroying the earth."

—Helen Caldicott, Union of Concerned Scientists

"We must make this an insecure and inhospitable place for capitalists and their projects…. We must reclaim the roads and plowed land, halt dam construction, tear down existing dams, free shackled rivers and return to wilderness millions of tens of millions of acres of presently settled land."

—David Foreman, Earth First!

"Everything we have developed over the last 100 years should be destroyed."

—Pentti Linkola

"If you ask me, it’d be a little short of disastrous for us to discover a source of clean, cheap, abundant energy because of what we would do with it. We ought to be looking for energy sources that are adequate for our needs, but that won’t give us the excesses of concentrated energy with which we could do mischief to the earth or to each other."

"The only real good technology is no technology at all. Technology is taxation without representation, imposed by our elitist species (man) upon the rest of the natural world."

—John Shuttleworth

"What we’ve got to do in energy conservation is try to ride the global warming issue. Even if the theory of global warming is wrong, to have approached global warming as if it is real means energy conservation, so we will be doing the right thing anyway in terms of economic policy and environmental policy."

—Timothy Wirth, former U.S. Senator (D-Colorado)

"I suspect that eradicating smallpox was wrong. It played an important part in balancing ecosystems."

—John Davis, editor of Earth First! Journal

"Human beings, as a species, have no more value than slugs."

—John Davis, editor of Earth First! Journal

"The extinction of the human species may not only be inevitable but a good thing....This is not to say that the rise of human civilization is insignificant, but there is no way of showing that it will be much help to the world in the long run."

—Economist editorial

"We advocate biodiversity for biodiversity’s sake. It may take our extinction to set things straight."

—David Foreman, Earth First!

"Phasing out the human race will solve every problem on earth, social and environmental."

—Dave Forman, Founder of Earth First!

"If radical environmentalists were to invent a disease to bring human populations back to sanity, it would probably be something like AIDS."

—Earth First! Newsletter

"Human happiness, and certainly human fecundity, is not as important as a wild and healthy planets…Some of us can only hope for the right virus to come along."

—David Graber, biologist, National Park Service

"The collective needs of non-human species must take precedence over the needs and desires of humans."

—Dr. Reed F. Noss, The Wildlands Project

"If I were reincarnated, I would wish to be returned to Earth as a killer virus to lower human population levels."

—Prince Phillip, World Wildlife Fund

"Cannibalism is a 'radical but realistic solution to the problem of overpopulation'.”

—Lyall Watson, The Financial Times, 15 July 1995

"We, in the green movement, aspire to a cultural model in which killing a forest will be considered more contemptible and more criminal than the sale of 6-year-old children to Asian brothels."

—Carl Amery

"Every time you turn on an electric light, you are making another brainless baby."

—Helen Caldicott, Union of Concerned Scientists

"To feed a starving child is to exacerbate the world population problem."

—Lamont Cole

"If there is going to be electricity, I would like it to be decentralized, small, solar-powered."

"The only hope for the world is to make sure there is not another United States: We can’t let other countries have the same number of cars, the amount of industrialization, we have in the U.S. We have to stop these Third World countries right where they are. And it is important to the rest of the world to make sure that they don’t suffer economically by virtue of our stopping them."

—Michael Oppenheimer, Environmental Defense Fund

"The continued rapid cooling of the earth since WWII is in accord with the increase in global air pollution associated with industrialization, mechanization, urbanization and exploding population."

"The battle to feed humanity is over. In the 1970s, the world will undergo famines. Hundreds of millions of people are going to starve to death in spite of any crash programs embarked upon now. Population control is the only answer."

—Paul Ehrlich, in The Population Bomb (1968)

"I would take even money that England will not exist in the year 2000."

—Paul Ehrlich in (1969)

"In ten years all important animal life in the sea will be extinct. Large areas of coastline will have to be evacuated because of the stench of dead fish."

—Paul Ehrlich, Earth Day (1970)

"Before 1985, mankind will enter a genuine age of scarcity…in which the accessible supplies of many key minerals will be facing depletion."

—Paul Ehrlich in (1976)

"This [cooling] trend will reduce agricultural productivity for the rest of the century."

—Peter Gwynne, Newsweek 1976

"There are ominous signs that the earth’s weather patterns have begun to change dramatically and that these changes may portend a drastic decline in food production—with serious political implications for just about every nation on earth. The drop in food production could begin quite soon… The evidence in support of these predictions has now begun to accumulate so massively that meteorologist are hard-pressed to keep up with it."

—Newsweek, April 28, (1975)

"This cooling has already killed hundreds of thousands of people. If it continues and no strong action is taken, it will cause world famine, world chaos and world war, and this could all come about before the year 2000."

—Lowell Ponte in “The Cooling”, 1976

"If present trends continue, the world will be about four degrees colder for the global mean temperature in 1990, but eleven degrees colder by the year 2000. … This is about twice what it would take to put us in an ice age."

—Kenneth E.F. Watt on air pollution and global cooling, Earth Day (1970)